INTERCOLONIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 43, 25 February 1898, Page 19

INTERCOLONIAL.

The Ota(/o Daily Times of Wednesday, February 23rd., has the following in the course of a bright letter from its Melbourne correspondent :—: — One of the interesting events of the week has been the prosecution of some of the Orangemen who walked in procession last July, when the "green " gave furious battle, and ths Sunday afternoon saw a riotious scene. Years ago, away back in the diggings days, when orange and green fell a-fighting in a similar way, a

•' Party Processions Act " was passed to prevent all such incidents in the future. Just how far it will prevent an Orange procession is the present question. The Government took oue legal opinion on the point, which was that the Act did not apply. But the Catholics have taken two or three opinions also, which are that it does apply ; so they Bet to work and subscribed funds to test the question, and the prosecution is the result. In Brunswick the riots took place, and Brunswick was consequently the scene also of the prosecution. Never, or scarcely ever, in the history of prosecutions was there a more flagrant travesty of a judicial proceeding. Of course everyone was perfectly well aware from the beginning that the Police Court decision would not settle the matter. It was ridiculous to suppose that a bench of justices was to settle the important and delicate legal questions involved. It is one for the Supreme Court bench undoubtedly. But even under these circumstances the public desire to see at least a pretention to judicial impartiality. Not a pretention was apparent. The bench was composed of four or five J.P.'s. All but one were Orangemen, and the one was a Catholic. The Orangemen " barracked " for the defendants throughout ; the Catholic for the prosecution. At length, after a two days' hearing, the expected result took place. The Orangemen all went for an acquittal ; the Catholic was " unanimous ' for a committal, and he boldly did his duty ; on his sole responsibility he committed the defendants for trial. It was his duty unquestionably, for the question was one far beyond the capability of the justices.

If the Supreme Court decide that the Orange processionists committed a breach of the Act there will be fierce joy in the Catholic camp. The question will then arise, Is a St. Patrick's Day processionist also a breaker of the Act ? Possibly the Supreme Court, if they decide against the the Orangemen, will widen their decision to cover this question. If they don't, there will certainly be a prosecution of the " green " next St. Patrick's Day.

The proceedings before the bench were lively and amusing The Rev. John Caton, a Church of England clergymen, made a solemn protest to the bench against being " haled before a court as a witness by a foreign " — said foreign power being, of course, the Pope of Rome. The Rev. John Caton is an Irishman, but it need not be added that he is from the " black North." Evidently in the North they have no sense of humour. There was a suspicion that the Rev. John Caton was joking, but he has written a long letter to the papers to prove how earnest he was. What he was culled aa a witness about was an Orange sermon he delivered on the fateful Sunday. You will be able to guess how much Christian charity and loving kindness there was in Mr. Caton's sermon.

Mr. Purves was counsel for the Orangemen, and as the wit-

nesses for the other side were Catholics and Irishmen who had to describe how the sight of yellow was like a red rag to a bull to them he had plenty scope for jocularity. And he took full advantage of it, so that the printed reports are good reading. But all Melbourne has roared at how an Irish constable's ready wit brought him to confusion. It isn't very ancient history — the O'HaraPurves fi^ht in Collins street. Dr. O'Hara was a court witness, and the great Q.C. put some insult on him, and the Irish doctor knocked the lawyer down on his way past the Exchange next morning. Mr. Purves was questioning the constable about his knowledge of '■ the Boyne," and the drubbing the Catholics got. '• Faith, you were easily beaten,"' said he. " And so were you when you met O'Hara," returned the constable like a flash — as clever a retort, even if it was a little unfeeling, as has ever been thrown at Mr. Purves from the witness box.